Serket Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 (edited) I've been meaning to find a vet on the central coast who does titre testing for a while now, and finally started ringing around tonight as our normal vet does not do them. I've just gotten off the phone to one vet clinic where the lady said they do offer them, but she was very confused about why I wanted a titre test because they normally do them to check for rabies before exporting dogs apparently. I've never heard this before as a reaction to an enquiry, people either seem to do them, or not. The previous clinic I phoned the girl had no idea what I was talking about and had to ask the vet. This lady had never heard of people getting them done to check immunity levels as an alternative to annual/triennial vaccinations before. So I guess my questions are, a) does anyone know a vet clinic on the coast who offers titre tests who might not think I'm crazy, and b) is it more common to request it for exporting and I'm just in a DOL bubble where we talk about it differently? There was an old thread on this but no clinics were specifically mentioned as offering them and it was a few years old. Edited for clarity :-) Edited June 17, 2014 by Serket Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelpiecuddles Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 If you wish to reimport the dog back in to the country, you need to have proof that the dog was tested immune to rabies before leaving country of origin as that serves to reduce likelihood of long quarantine on return trip. Also someone exporting a dog would want to be sure their dog was covered as soon as they stepped off the plane since there would be no import quarantine over there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serket Posted June 17, 2014 Author Share Posted June 17, 2014 (edited) Thanks, and that's interesting about reducing the length of quarantine on returning. We've often thought about moving overseas but I can't stand the idea of our dogs being stuck in quarantine for months. It makes sense what she said, although her wording wasn't about immunity to rabies it was more that she was implying checking if they had rabies, but I assume she just worded it poorly. Just like I have in my post, I just thought it was becoming more common these days to titre test more generally not just for import/export and so I was surprised by her reaction and confusion that if I wasn't exporting why on earth would I want one done. Edited June 17, 2014 by Serket Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelpiecuddles Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 Considering the roasting I got from a local vet who tried to make me feel a few inches tall over choosing not to fully vaccinate my dog annually I'm not surprised. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpha bet Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 Dont be put off by the vets clinics ignorance... Keep ringing and asking.... the only way the vets will sit up and take notice is if they start getting many enquiries..... Perhaps they will even add a session to the Vet Courses at Uni. Sometimes with some people you have to keep hitting them with the idea before they start to realise it might be a good idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyCresties Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 This was a recent thread with some recommended clinics :) http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/255154-titre-testing/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeltaCharlie Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 Its a bit of a hike for you, but my vet at Medowie advocates them. She said Newcastle and Central coast vets are a bit behind the times though. Otherwise, there are plenty in North Sydney if that is easier for you to get to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serket Posted June 18, 2014 Author Share Posted June 18, 2014 (edited) Thanks everyone, I had a read through that other thread but nothing specific that's local. Which places in North Sydney? Anything Hornsby/North Shore is easy to get to and not too far to drive with dogs, any further and it's probably cheaper to just go to the place I found that will, somewhat reluctantly, do them. If I could find a Central Coast vet it would be easier, but it isn't looking good, and I really, really, hate being treated like an idiot and a crazy anti-vaccination person. To be fair, I haven't finished calling vets yet, but I thought I'd called the ones I felt were more progressive and up to date. I did get a call back from the one clinic that is willing to do them, parvo/distemper $119 something, plus consult of $62, and then a hep test for $142 - from reading the other thread, it seems most people just do the parvo/distemper one? The lady was a bit more open to it today in some respects after I explained a bit more, but said they'd never had anyone request it, had never heard of people doing it, and at the end when I said thank you but I'll keep looking as I believe some vets can offer it more cheaply (not that money is an issue, but I'd rather go somewhere more accepting) she kept warning me about high risk parvo areas nearby and telling me not to risk my dog's health for the sake of some fad, basically. Edited June 18, 2014 by Serket Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CountryGirl Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 I don't think titre testing is "some fad" - there isn't a chance I'd use any clinic that hinted at this suggestion. I don't vaccinate as a matter of routine. I also don't titre test, but then my dogs are house dogs that aren't off my property all that much - as I live on acreage in the bush I don't think they're at high risk of catching vaccine-preventible illnesses and if they were to catch something, chances are it would be kennel cough anyway. They were all vaccinated when younger - all had their full puppy shots - so why vaccinate them every year? Are the vaccines so weak or ineffective that they have no residual effect in the immune system? I would think not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aidan3 Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 I'm not a vet, but I think it's fair to be skeptical of titering instead of vaccinating. "Correlation doesn't imply causation", and that's all we have with a titre - correlation. It does not measure immunity. http://m.petmd.com/blogs/fullyvetted/2010/june/titering_or_vaccines-10182 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeltaCharlie Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 I've never had to pay a consultation fee, just the $60 for the test, depends I guess in whether you want the annual check etc or happy to just have the blood drawn and sent. I always let them know when I first enquire that they see their regular vet regularly and a full consult or check is not required. Will get back to you re the vets in North Sydney. How far are you from Russell Lea? there is a big all natural vet there, they were one of the first in Australia to start doing it. When you do get it done get them to request an actual value for immunity, not just the positive/negative that they have started to give vets. It tells you nothing really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queen Maeby Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 (edited) I've been meaning to find a vet on the central coast who does titre testing for a while now, and finally started ringing around tonight as our normal vet does not do them. I've just gotten off the phone to one vet clinic where the lady said they do offer them, but she was very confused about why I wanted a titre test because they normally do them to check for rabies before exporting dogs apparently. I've never heard this before as a reaction to an enquiry, people either seem to do them, or not. The previous clinic I phoned the girl had no idea what I was talking about and had to ask the vet. This lady had never heard of people getting them done to check immunity levels as an alternative to annual/triennial vaccinations before. So I guess my questions are, a) does anyone know a vet clinic on the coast who offers titre tests who might not think I'm crazy, and b) is it more common to request it for exporting and I'm just in a DOL bubble where we talk about it differently? There was an old thread on this but no clinics were specifically mentioned as offering them and it was a few years old. Edited for clarity :-) Some people use a laboratory in WA called Vetpath to have their titre testing done. You get it done through your vet who sends them the samples. My vet has no problem doing this at all. http://www.vetpath.com.au/ I haven't used them yet but plan to use them in the future. Edited June 21, 2014 by Queen Maeby Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 Aiden, yes the uncertainty around titre testing from my own reading is why I do a 3 yearly vax with annual check ups. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queen Maeby Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 It just means my Pugs and I won't be able to go to obedience training, but I don't mind :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serket Posted June 19, 2014 Author Share Posted June 19, 2014 Russell Lea is at least an hour and a half, up to two depending on traffic. Doable but I think I have some options now that are closer :-) but it's always good to know what the other options are. I will make sure to get an actual value. I may still get the 3 yearly vaccination because I'm thinking about going back to obedience training, and they may not accept titre test results anyway, but I would still like to get it done regardless. Interestingly the clinic I got a quote from said they send their samples to WA and that was how much it cost. I didn't specifically ask if it was vetpath though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HazyWal Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 Its a bit of a hike for you, but my vet at Medowie advocates them. She said Newcastle and Central coast vets are a bit behind the times though. Otherwise, there are plenty in North Sydney if that is easier for you to get to. I'm sure my vet on the Central Coast will be impressed when I tell him he's "a bit behind the times" What a rude comment by your vet, does he/she know every vet here? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeltaCharlie Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 Its a bit of a hike for you, but my vet at Medowie advocates them. She said Newcastle and Central coast vets are a bit behind the times though. Otherwise, there are plenty in North Sydney if that is easier for you to get to. I'm sure my vet on the Central Coast will be impressed when I tell him he's "a bit behind the times" What a rude comment by your vet, does he/she know every vet here? It was obviously not aimed at any specific vet or vet clinic, but at the area in general. Why would you assume otherwise? A large number of vets either don't titre at all or don't know a lot about it. It isn't something that clients are offered as an alternative at many clinics, and only available to those who ask. Vets may be prepared to titre test dogs but most do not have an account set up with vetpath (which is free to set up and really easy for them to do) which means clients are paying up to $200 instead of $60. Once again, not all vets... It is no different to the observation that many have made when coming from Sydney (where there are many vets who have titred for years) to Canberra where most didn't agree with it until recently (by recent I would say the last 5 years). Canberra is much further behind in its thinking in regards to titres etc. It doesn't mean that all of them are, I have a great holistic vet in Canberra who is incredibly knowledgeable on the topic and has been trying to educate the dog clubs and fellow vets for a good 10 years or so. The ACT in general, however, have been much slower than Sydney when it comes to titre tests, and God forbid, could be said to be "behind the times." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aidan3 Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 Vets who are described as "behind the times" could also be making sound decisions based on the available evidence. There's nothing wrong with taking a conservative approach when it comes to health and preventable disease. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queen Maeby Posted June 21, 2014 Share Posted June 21, 2014 I've never had to pay a consultation fee, just the $60 for the test, depends I guess in whether you want the annual check etc or happy to just have the blood drawn and sent. I always let them know when I first enquire that they see their regular vet regularly and a full consult or check is not required. Will get back to you re the vets in North Sydney. How far are you from Russell Lea? there is a big all natural vet there, they were one of the first in Australia to start doing it. When you do get it done get them to request an actual value for immunity, not just the positive/negative that they have started to give vets. It tells you nothing really. I haven't titre tested yet. Just so I understand... I should expect to pay for the titre test only ($60) and not the consultation fee (usually $49)? It's just that I can't imagine my vet not charging me for a consultation when I'd have to make an appointment, and have a consultation, to have the test done. Also, I remember reading somewhere that it costs more to have the titre test done with Vetpath if your vet hasn't set up an account with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moosepup Posted June 21, 2014 Share Posted June 21, 2014 I'm not a vet, but I think it's fair to be skeptical of titering instead of vaccinating. "Correlation doesn't imply causation", and that's all we have with a titre - correlation. It does not measure immunity. http://m.petmd.com/blogs/fullyvetted/2010/june/titering_or_vaccines-10182 Interesting article, thanks for sharing. :) I'll still continue to titre instead of vaccinate as I consider my dogs' circumstances fairly low risk. Now if you could vaccinate against stick-fast fleas, I'd be all over that bad boy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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